Tile.



'No. 850,271. PATENTED APR-.16, 1907.

G. B. STAPLES.

TILE.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 28. 1905.

' to withdraw under ordinary use.

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TILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aprii 16, 1907.

Original application filed May 16, 1 905, Serial No. 260, 6 68. Divided and this application filed November 28,190 5. Serial N0. 2 89,5 1 7.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. STAPLES, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiles, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to tiles, and the present case is in part a division of that filed by me May 16, 1905, Serial No. 260,668. In said application I disclose a tile having a facing material carried by a foundation-plate which at certain points on its margin is indented with a portion of the metal bridging, said indentation leaving an opening formed through the metal adjacent to said bridge to receive a locking-tongue to connect the tile to an adjacent tile.

My improvement consists in the use of a clip having projecting tongues or studs adapted to fit into the openings in the foundation-plates, the said tongues being of a springy nature to fit into place and to hold the tiles together by frictional contact.

The invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a tile provided with the openings above mentioned. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the clips, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of pertionsof adjacent tiles with the clip for holding them together. Figs. 4 and.5 are views of a modification. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the edge of the foundation-plate and illustrating the indentation and bridge thereat.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the foundation-plate of the tile, which is preferably made of metal and which carries thereon in any suitable manner the non-slipping facing material 1 composed of a composition of rubber or any other suitable material. The foundation-plate is indented at its margin, as indicated at 2, the indentation being bridged at 3 by a raised strip or portion of the foundation-plate, and within this bridged portion the indentation leaves an elongated opening 4 to receive the locking-tongue designed to. hold the tile to the adjacent tile.

The tiles are held together by means of a clip 5, having projections or tongues 6 formed, preferably, by rolling over the metal to form a rounded lip or projection which when pressed into the elongated opening 4 will remain therein to resist any tendency The edges of the tiles are brought close together, and the clips extend, as shown in Fig. 3 beneath the joint of adjacent tiles, with their tongues engaging the elongated openings. These tongues extend up into recesses 7 formed in the facing material, and they have a certain 'amount of resilience to enable them to be sprung into place.

An important advantage of my invention is that any tile may be removed for repairs or for replacing without removing the adj acent tiles, each of the tiles being provided with the said operings and being connected to the adjacent tiles by the clips, from which r directly in the composition material and dispense entirely with the foundation-plate. This composition material being to a certain degree resilient will assist in holding the tongues of the clips in firm contact therewith, and said tongues may be made as before.

In the drawings, the recesses in the composition are shown at 8 and the indents leading to the said recesses are shown at 9. The resilient quality of the composition material will aid in holding the tongues in the recesses, 'whether the tile is made with a metal foundation or not.

I claim as my invention- 1.. In combination, a pair of recessed tiles, foundation-plates secured to the tiles and means independent of the tiles extending be-- neath the marginal portion of the foundation-plates and engaging the recesses to hold the tiles together, each tile being removable upwardly, independently of the adjacent ti e.

2. In combination, a pair of tiles having metal foundations and resilient facing material thereon, and means for securing the'tiles together having its terminal end sprung into recesses formed in the foundations back from the edge thereon and adapted to resist upward displacement until su'l'licient force is applied to the tile, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a tile of resilient material having a recess on-its under side back from the edge and means for securing the tile to an adjacent tile comprising a member extending between them having an upwardlyprojecting portion with its terminal end bent over and downwardly forming a shoulder below which the resilient Wall of the recess may grip, substantially as described.

I TO

4. In combination, a tile of resilient material having a recess on its under side back from the edge and means for securing the tile to an adjacent tile comprising a tongue extending into the recess and having alaterally-projecting terminal portion to engage the Wall of the recess, substantially as described.

5. In combination a tile having a recess on its under side back from the edge and means for securing the tile to an adjacent tile comprising a tongue extending into the recess, said tongue having a laterally-projecting terminal portion extending from one Wall of the recess to the other substantially as described.

6. In combination With tiles recessed on their under sides, resilient means for holding said recessed tiles together and having terminal projections adapted to be sprung into the said recesses, said recessed tiles resting over the said projections substantially as de scribed.

7. In combination With a tile recessed on its under side, back from the edge means for securing the tile to an adjacent tile comprising a tongue extending into the recess and havin a lateral resilient terminal projection.

8. n combination, tiles composed of resilient material having recesses and clips independent of each other having a main portion extending across the joint between the tiles With terminal projections locked in the said recesses, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

GEORGE B. STAPLES.

Vitnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

